Of Lords and Ladies
by HannahChaan
Summary: A KHR AU set in Victorian England in which Cora Bonneville (OC) and Hayato Gokudera have a marriage arranged between them by their parents.
1. Chapter 1

Of Lords And Ladies

 _ **Lesson One: Always do as you're told.**_

Cora had a role to play, and she knew that. She'd always known that. Right from the very start, her mother had told her that she was simply a piece in a much larger game, and by doing her duty she would help her side win.

She never understood the concept of 'sides', but her mother's point was clear – do as you're told and life will turn out okay.

Even so, that didn't make her any happier about this.

"Cora!"

Her father's voice rang through the room and with a jolt she was returned to the present. Five pairs of eyes were fixed upon her form, and she could see her mother almost willing her to _pay attention_ and _not do anything unladylike._

"S-sorry, father," she said quietly, lowering her gaze and pressing her trembling fingers together.

The conversation between her parents and _his_ continued, and she did her best to look as though she was a part of it, although most of her attention was directed to keeping her breathing steady.

 _Goddamnit, why do they have to make corsets so damn tight-_

"I agree, a union would be most beneficial for both-"

The last ball of hope Cora had been desperately clutching onto dropped, and she exhaled slowly. They'd agreed. _Goddamnit._

Her grey eyes wandered to the boy – man – sat opposite her, something she'd been resisting the urge to do for a while. His olive orbs were already focused upon her, jaw tight and mouth clenched into an unreadable frown. He was certainly attractive, she thought, eyes wandering over smooth strands of silver hair and pale skin. But, even if he wasn't, nothing would change. She was fortunate. Many were not.

"Well then, this is a most joyous occasion indeed."

There was a smile in her father's voice. Not because his daughter was now _officially_ engaged and facing a 'long, happy marriage', but because said marriage would bring together the two great households of Bonneville (hers) and Gokudera (his). This meant more money and safety for all involved.

 _Maybe that's what mother meant by winning._

The formalities were dealt with by her parents – an announcement would be released in _The Times_ the very next day, the wedding was to be in sixth months, etcetera. Her future mother-in-law (step-mother-in-law, more accurately – Cora knew she was not her fiancé's mother) then grabbed her chin and turned her head this way and that, murmuring that "she didn't give her much to work with" but "there was nothing to be done about that".

And then the man that she were due to spend the rest of her life with stepped forward, took her hand and pressed it to his lips, face remaining stoic and eyes revealing nothing. She rearranged her face into what she hoped was a detached look of happiness (one she'd been practicing from a young age for exactly this moment) and did her best to avoid anyone's gaze.

 _And so begins the rest of my life._

"Cora?"

Her mother's head appeared around the door of her bedchamber. Cora was sat at the dressing table pressed against the far wall, running an ivory hairbrush through the same patch of brown hair distractedly.

"Come in, mother, please."

She crossed the room, took the brush from her and started to coax out the knots Cora had missed. It was quiet for a few minutes, the silence broken only by the rasping noise made as the horse hair of the brush was pulled through hers.

"You've always had such lovely hair," her mother sighed finally, pulling the loose strands away from her face and into a long plait. She didn't say anything, but she agreed. Her looks had always been... average, to say the least. All three of her sisters were heart-wrenchingly beautiful, but by the time it came to her the universe had seemed to decide that three pretty daughters was enough, and thus she were born. The only difference was her hair. The light brown was universal in her family, but Cora's was much softer than usual. Running your fingers through it was like caressing silk, her old nanny had once said. It was the only advantage she had against other girls her age – she wasn't even that good at being a lady.

"I know it's scary, Cora, but this marriage will be good for us. Surely you can see that?"

"Yes, mother. But even if I couldn't, I'd marry him anyway. It's what father wants."

"Your father wants the best for yo-"

"Father wants the best for the family. And me doing this is what he considers the best." She exhaled heavily, blowing a few wisps of hair away from her face. "I am not so deluded that I believe he is doing any of this for me. I know he wanted a third son."

Her mother didn't say anything – there was no point. They both knew Cora was right.

"He's quite the looker, young Hayato," she said finally. "We do not marry for love, rather convenience. But at least your view will be nice."

That made Cora laugh.

"I suppose I'm more fortunate than Florence," she mused. Florence was the second eldest, and while being possibly the most beautiful of all four daughters, had ended up with a rather pot-bellied middle-aged man, who was some big shot in the banking world. By the time they were married, shortly after Florence had turned 23, he had lost almost all of his hair. Needless to say, their marriage was one of utmost tolerance and nothing more, although Florence had already churned out two sons for him.

"Ernest is a lovely fellow!" Her mother said indignantly, attempting to not smile but failing.

Cora laughed again. Since Alfred had moved out the previous year she'd become a lot closer to her mother, partially in an attempt to make the large house feel less empty now that five of its original eight inhabitants had flown the nest, and partially because she hoped that by being nice to her, she would prevent Cora's father from making her marry another Ernest.

Then she pulled her daughter close and wrapped her arms around her, in a movement that felt both unnatural and slightly forced to both. She hadn't played a large part in Cora's upbringing, and the two had rarely hugged.

"I'm proud of you, Cora," she whispered. "You've become a fine young lady."

Cora pressed her eyes shut, and wished that she was right.

 _Perhaps if I were a fine young lady, this wouldn't be so daunting._


	2. Chapter 2

Of Lords And Ladies

 _ **Lesson Two: Your husband's word is final.**_

Cora didn't see her new fiancé for almost two months after the "arrangement" was made. These were, she knew, her final months living in her family home, and she made the most of it. She'd miss the country estate once she left – undoubtedly she'd be moved down to London where her new husband probably worked.

(Oh, if only she knew.)

After a while a letter arrived, which was odd – she never usually received letters unless one of her sisters had gossip, and there hadn't been any significant social events recently. Slightly confused, she opened the creamy white envelope (noticing the high quality of the paper) and read the letter inside.

 _Dear Lady Cora,_

 _There is an event, hosted by my boss and close personal friend, being held in London on the 22_ _nd_ _of March (this coming Saturday). I feel it is an excellent time to present you to my colleagues and friends and shall also give us a chance to talk for the first time._

 _I shall pick you up from your London home at seven o'clock sharp. I expect you to look as presentable as possible, and bear in mind that this is a formal event._

 _Yours,_

 _Gokudera._

Cora threw the paper onto the small wooden table beside the chair and groaned. Formal events were bad enough, but so far her impression of Hayato was that of a rude, arrogant and irritatingly gorgeous man. He just _expected_ her to turn up to this event at short notice, stating that she was to look as _presentable as possible_ (Jesus, he was almost as bad as his step-mother) so he could _present her_ to his friends! What was she, an ornament?

 _Yes._

Really, that is all she was – a pretty face at the end of his arm and a body to churn out many healthy sons to inherit his wealth. At the end of the day, that's all her duties were – the two of you didn't even have to speak. And anyway, what was with him referring to himself by his surname?! (A surname she would soon be expected to take).

Sighing, she heaved herself to her feet and attempted to sort out her crumpled skirt (all those hours spent learning to sit like a lady and she still forgot to actually do it). Plans were going to have to be made and the servants in London would need to be informed immediately that she was coming down to stay. Plus, she doubted very much that any of the dresses she currently owned would meet Hayato's evidently high standards – she'd have to hope the dress that was currently being made in London (which she had been planning on wearing on her debutante, although she supposed that had now been rendered irrelevant) would be prepared in time,

"MOTHER!"

Her mother was a saint. She really was. Cora didn't know how she'd done it. Within a few short hours all plans had been made – a letter had been sent to the London house, along with a reply to Hayato assuring him that she could firstly make the event and that she would ready for the given time ("Part of being married is doing as your husband says", her mother had told her firmly as she complained at this part). The stables had been alerted that the ladies Bonneville would need the carriage the very next day ("Such short notice!" Cora heard one of the stable hands grumble as she returned to the house) and one of her maids had been sent along with the letter courier to alert the dress shop in London of the suddenly shortened time period ("They'll understand," her mother reassured her. "Things like this happen all the time.")

Cora, in the meantime, had spent copious amounts of time stressing over actually _seeing_ her fiancé and attempted at least four times to persuade one of the maids to run away with her. The maid told her quite frankly that she'd last about fifteen minutes out in the "real world" (which was as close as she could come to calling Cora a spoiled rich kid which, in fairness, she was) and that she was sure Hayato would be quite the charmer in real life. Cora was dubious, but stopped planning her escape.

The next few days were, ironically, the most fun she'd had in months. Admittedly the carriage ride was not fun at all – especially because she had to stop at a friend of her mother's house in Northampton overnight. The journey could have been completed in one day and in considerable more comfort if she'd travelled by train, but her mother didn't trust the "iron horse" (as she referred to it) and insisted on travelling "the way our ancestors did for centuries."

However, upon arriving in London early Thursday evening, she was immediately greeted by the London servants who, as they did not have to attend to her family 24/7, were a lot friendlier than the usual staff. Everything had been cleaned at least a dozen times, judging from the heavy aroma of polish lingering in the air, and they'd even left a "Congratulations on your engagement" card on her pillow, which was sweet, but only served to remind her of the reason she was here.

The dress shopping next day was excellent. The shop she visited was owned by a rather snobby (and fat) lady who constantly looked like there was a bad smell hanging around her nose, however the dressmaker herself was ancient, lovely to the customers and spent most of her time putting the owner in her place.

"Cora!"

"Bessie!"

She hugged the tiny seamstress hello, and she held Cora out at arm's length to appraise any changes that may have occurred.

"My, how you've grown!" she exclaimed, even though they both knew she hadn't in the slightest. "We've been working through the night to finish your dress," she added cheerfully, gesturing to the evidently sleep-deprived seamstresses seated around the shop. Cora gave them all a grateful smile, feeling her anger towards Hayato increasing by the second.

Impressively, they'd completed just about everything. A few adjustments had to be made here and there, fitting the dress to her body perfectly. Even she had to admit it looked rather nice, the deep crimson fabric flowing to the ground, gently accenting her curves and moving in a way that made her seem almost... graceful.

As ever, the corset was unnecessarily tight, but for once it almost seemed worth it. She hoped his step-mother was there, just so she could show the old hag that she _could_ be beautiful if she _tried_ -

That train of thought was shut down rapidly. It would not do, she told herself, to think of her future mother-in-law in that way; what if she accidently said something out loud? No. It had to stop.

For the rest of that day and the majority of the next, Cora devoted her time to preparing for the next evening. It was extremely dull and mostly composed of sitting around listening to her mother and other ladies of London instructing her to "not speak unless spoken to" and to "look pretty" and "laugh in appropriate places". Most of it went over her head, but she tried to at least take in a few pointers.

By the time Saturday evening arrived, she was a nervous wreck. Her heart was pounding and the desire to vomit was almost overwhelming, but despite all this, she somehow (miraculously) managed to look rather nice.

 _I hope he thinks I look okay,_ she thought to herself. She may find Hayato rather rude in his approach, but she still wanted him to think she looked nice. Undoubtedly, he'd be as dashing as always.

At seven o'clock exactly, the doorbell went. She stood nervously; nearly falling over from her shaking legs, and took a deep breath.

"Are you ready?" her mother asked quietly, leading her to the door.

"Yes."

 _No. But I don't think I ever will be._


	3. Chapter 3

Of Lords And Ladies

 _ **Lesson Three: Your husband's friends are your friends. His enemies, your enemies.**_

Just as expected, Hayato took Cora's breath away. His suit was fitted perfectly to long limbs, the black fabric contrasting sharply with his crisp white shirt and smooth pale skin.

Unsurprisingly, he wasn't exactly overflowing with compliments for her. She could feel his eyes tracing their way over her, taking in every curve and fold of the dress. Eventually she was gruffly told that she "looked enchanting", but there was no warmth in neither his voice nor his eyes. There was nothing but disinterest.

The carriage ride did little to induce any intimacy between the young couple. Hayato sat with his hands in his lap, staring resolutely out the window whilst Cora tried to not suffocate from the ridiculous corset crushing her ribs.

 _Why did mother insist on tightening it a fourth time? I'm slender enough as it is._

The event itself was being held at Hayato's boss's house, and so Cora was expecting a relatively exclusive event. What she hadn't counted on was this man owning a country manor house forty minutes out of London – which meant forty minutes of silence. Half way through she asked who would be attending the event, praying silently she would recognise at least one name. Hayato however had no interest in naming every signal guest that would be there and instead responded with "The gentlemen my boss works and acquaints himself with."

Her next question, a full fifteen minutes later, of what it was Hayato did for a living (other than being rich full time and professionally sullen), was met with a silence stonier than the road beneath the carriage. (She was doing her best to avoid ending up any nearer to Hayato than she had to; something which the numerous potholes littering the road made challenging.)

The rest of the carriage ride passed so slowly Cora began to wonder if they were even going to a party at all, or if it was some elaborate ruse on behalf of her fiancé to test her ability to deal with the silence that would, surely, permeate every aspect of the rest of her life. As it transpired, however, there was in fact a party, and the relief Cora felt at the sight of the magnificent manor was rapidly replaced with fear as she realised _oh God, there are so many people._

It was true; people were oozing out of the house. Hayato was evidently unperturbed by this, climbing out of the carriage without so much as a second glance at the house which, surely, couldn't accommodate more? No, Cora decided, there were too many people. They would just have to go back. Hayato, however, clearly disagreed.

"Miss Bonneville, please, we're late enough as it is."

Plucking up what faltering courage she had, Cora forced herself out of the carriage. From the ground, the house was even more daunting, the large arched windows revealing an interior so luxurious she couldn't help but wonder exactly what it was this future husband of hers did.

 _Presumably, whatever he does is similar to Father. They met through work, I believe. But I don't actually know what Father does._

She had little time to wonder; Hayato was rapidly steering her towards a front door that looked more expensive than everything she owned put together. It opened before they reached it, granting them entrance to the entrance hall.

A staircase rose before Cora, the bannister shining gold. The black and white marble flooring was barely visible beneath the feet of hundreds of people, all gathered in groups and drinking out of cut crystal glasses. As she watched, a butler weaved between the crowds and headed in their direction. Hayato caught the man's eye and for the first time a smile broke out across his face.

"Simmons, my good man, it's a delight to see you again."

The butler bowed.

"And you, sir. I hope this evening finds you well." His gaze turned to Cora, who was slightly surprised to see the scar running from his left temple, down the side of his face and disappearing beneath his collar. "And you must be Miss Bonneville. I'm honoured to welcome you to the house of Lord Tsunayoshi Sawada, our gracious host for the evening."

Cora extended her hand in greeting, mulling the name of this mysterious man through her mind. It wasn't one she recognised; but then, neither was the name of her husband, and clearly their fathers were well acquainted.

Simmons attention returned to Hayato. "Lord Sawada requested your presence as soon as you arrived, sir. If you'll follow me, he's currently in the library."

Abruptly the butler turned on his heel and disappeared into the heaving throng. Hayato gripped Cora's arm firmly (for which she was thankful) and followed.

The library was smaller than the entrance hall, and quieter too, which Cora was grateful for; a few men in suits were dotted around the room. Books adorned every inch of the walls, right up to the ceiling – there was even a platform for easier access to higher books. A large winged leather arm chair was next to the roaring fire, and in it sat a man, around Hayato's age, reading a large book, the title of which was in a language Cora didn't recognise. His hair was a warm golden brown, and his eyes – _God, his eyes!_ – were like honey. He smiled and set the book down upon the sight of them, and rose to his feet.

"Hayato!"

"Juudaime."

The two men embraced, which took her by surprise - she hadn't thought Hayato capable of something as human as hugging. Clearly, however, this Tsunayoshi was someone special to Hayato.

"Allow me to introduce my fiancée, Miss Cora Bonneville."

Tsunayoshi took Cora's extended hand and pressed his lips to it, eyes never leaving hers. "Miss Bonneville, I'm delighted. Allow me to extend my warmest congratulations upon your engagement. Hayato here is my closest friend, and I'm sure he will treat you well."

His voice had an accent that she couldn't place, which only served to heighten her confusion over just what it was Hayato did for a living. His speech took her by surprise; not only because it was utterly unexpected, but also because it seemed so genuine. Not to mention, this man was at a completely juxtaposition to her fiancé, and yet, if he were to be believed, they were the closest of friends. Perhaps she'd misjudged Hayato.

"Miss Bonneville, I apologise, but I must borrow Hayato for a short period of time. There's urgent business we need to discuss. If you find yourself at a loose end, however, feel free to peruse my book collection. Hayato tells me you have a fondness for reading."

Cora thanked Tsunayoshi for his generosity, but couldn't help but wonder how Hayato knew this. The two of them had, by her counting, exchanged fewer than a hundred words; and she was positive reading had never come up before. At any rate, this library certainly was impressive, and Tsunayoshi hadn't been wrong. She did love reading.

Upon further inspection, the library was a jumble of books in English, Italian, and what she took to be either Japanese or Chinese – she couldn't tell the difference at all. Deciding that now was not the time to test her limited Italian (she'd always detested it as a language anyway), she settled on a sofa opposite the large armchair, a Dickens' in hand. However, it was barely forty seconds before she was interrupted.

"Excuse me, my lady, this library is off limits to guests."

Cora's head snapped up, ready to inform this intruder that _actually I'm here with my fiancé, a close personal friend of Lord Tsunayoshi_ when she set eyes upon him, and any indignity melted away.

He was tall, much taller than Hayato, and so stunningly beautiful all breath was knocked from her chest. His skin was olive, his hair black and messy, and his eyes a deep brown. He was unlike any man Cora had seen before, and so clearly not from England. His voice was deep, and had an accent much like that of Tsunayoshi. It was at this point Cora realised she was staring, mouth slightly ajar, and the handsome stranger was clearly awaiting a response.

"I…Uh, I'm sorry, my fiancé-" She began, rising awkwardly.

"Fiancé? Oh!" Understanding flooded the man's face. "My apologies, my lady, I didn't realise. You must be Gokudera's fiancée."

The use of Hayato's surname caught her off guard, but she collected herself faster this time.

"Yes, I am. I'm Cora Bonneville."

He took her hand and kissed it, slowly. Cora felt her knees weaken ever so slightly.

"Miss Bonneville. I'm truly enchanted. My name is Takeshi Yamamoto. Please, accept my sincerest apologies. I hadn't realised. And please-" he leaned in slightly, allowing her a whiff of his aftershave, which weakened her knees more, "If you could refrain from mentioning this misunderstanding to Gokudera, I'd be most grateful."

"Are you not friends?" Cora asked, internally cursing Hayato for not at least telling her who he liked and disliked.

At this, Takeshi laughed.

"Of course we are! Gokudera can just get a bit grumpy sometimes, that's all." He flashed her a smile, which almost made her knees give out altogether. "And I'm sure he would not be happy to learn I almost removed his fiancé from the library!" Another laugh, at which Cora grabbed the arm of the sofa, to try and maintain at least an illusion of dignity. She was in the process of making up an excuse to explain away her flaming cheeks when Tsunayoshi returned, Hayato in tow.

"Ah, Gokudera! I was just greeting your beautiful fiancée. You're a lucky man!"

The temperature in the room seemed to have reached boiling point. Cora couldn't remember ever having been this hot, not even during that summer her family spent in India. She was, surely, a similar colour to her dress at this point.

Hayato, however, was clearly unperturbed by this statement. His steely eyes met Takeshi's and for a moment Cora thought she saw a flash of anger behind the mask, but he remained as composed as ever.

"Yamamoto. I wasn't expecting you to be back from Japan so soon."

Takeshi grinned. "We managed to finish things up much faster than expected. So I decided I'd hurry back. Tsuna's parties never disappoint, and this one is turning out to be even better than expected." His eyes flashed in Cora's direction, and she thought she would burst.

"How wonderful." Hayato said, in a tone of voice which suggested the exact opposite. "If you'll excuse us, however, there are other people I must introduce Cora too." With that, his hand was around her upper arm again, and before she got the chance to bid the two men farewell, she had been steered out of the room. A quick glance at Hayato's face showed he was in a thunderous mood, and so Cora decided, for the time being, to stay quiet.

After a few minutes of moving through crowds, they came across an empty window seat in a long corridor lined with paintings of, Cora assumed, the previous Lords. Hayato pushed her down into it, and sat beside her. It was the closest they'd even been; his knee was touching hers through the numerous layers of her dress, and they were both acutely aware of it.

"Miss Bonneville, I must warn you to stay away from Yamamoto."

Cora blinked, confused.

"Excuse me?"

"He has a… reputation, amongst the young ladies of Japan. And I'm sure he is planning on extending this reputation here. I understand that you had as much as say in this marriage as I did, and I suppose Yamamoto has a certain…charm," his lip curled in irritation at this. "But it is very important, for all of us, that we at least appear to be a young, infatuated couple. Is that not too much to ask?"

Cora could feel anger bubbling in her chest. How _dare_ he insinuate that she'd happily jump the first attractive man to pay her attention?! How dare he? The fact that she would, if given the opportunity was, of course, completely irrelevant. She may not know exactly why it was so important that they seemed to be happy, but she wasn't stupid enough to think that she could flirt with any man she wanted. No, Cora Bonneville didn't know what her role in this game was, but she was damned good at playing it. But it wouldn't do to shout at her fiancé. Instead, she would have to act the part of a submissive wife-to-be. She lowered her gaze.

"I'm sorry, Hayato. I didn't intend any harm; I was merely taken aback by Takeshi. He caught me by surprise when I was reading. I certainly wasn't taken in by his 'charm', as you so eloquently put it."

He didn't look convinced, but at the very least seemed satisfied by her response.

"Call him Yamamoto, woman. If you call him by his first name it'll only inflate his already oversized ego even more."

She nodded, although it seemed unusual to call someone by their surname. "Of course."

The rest of the night passed slowly but quietly. Cora remained by Hayato's side, smiling and greeting people as they were introduced to her, and for his part, he seemed to defrost a little. At one point, he even put his arm around her waist, in a gesture she almost mistook for affection.

 _Don't fool yourself, Cora. It's an act. It's all an act. And the game's just beginning…_


End file.
